Shadows and Betrayal Part One
by Tinuviel Undomiel
Summary: Also by Nerwen Aldarion AU When smuggler John Sheppard, captain of the ship the Hail Mary buys the slave Elizabeth in a poker game he gets more than he bargained for. Ronon is stuck having to train new recruit, Teyla, to the Brieden side, he didn't expect


Disclaimer: We don't own Atlantis or the characters, but we do own the Briedens and the Ekarrians.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: This idea came to me some time ago, and I just fell in love with it. This is a major AU, so some things will be very different. I hope you all enjoy this.

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: When my sister came up with this story, I once again thought she was nuts. But I guess I am too because I fell in love with it. This story is close to both of out hearts and means so much to us.

* * *

Shadows and Betrayal Part 1

Chapter 1: A Spy and a Slave

In the galaxy there were three different parts, the part that belonged to the Breidans, the part that belonged to the Ekarrians and the part that belonged to everyone else.

The war between the Breidans and the Ekarrians had waged on for generations. To hear it from the Ekarrians, the Breidans were a bloodthirsty race, killing everyone and anyone who would stand in their way. And to hear it from the Breidans the Ekarrians were a race of arrogant tyrants that used science to take over worlds. The hatred ran deep and the galaxy had become divided, neither side free from iniquity.

Then there were those that didn't care for either side but this part was worse. Here is where the smugglers and thieves thrived; taking from the war and the people it destroyed. The slave lords ruled with an iron fist, beating their slaves and snatching money from the poor citizens with their greedy hands.

It was better to be a part of the war which bred the poverty people tried to escape from. The war made passionate people whose only wish was to destroy the lives of others they had never met and to breed more to continue the killing that would never end until one side finally took control of the galaxy and perhaps then everyone would know which side was right.

* * *

Ronon Dex stood tense and ready; quick as lightning he drew his weapon and fired five shots, each hitting the target dead center as always. He was at the firing range in the Breidan base on Bakurra where he could be found many times while between missions.

He was an operative for the Breidans and he was the best. It wasn't a statement made out of arrogance but a fact. He alone held the best record for successful missions and Ekarrians killed, he also held the record for the least amount of students.

As a rule, operatives had to train new recruits in order to make sure only the best made it. Most of Ronon's students had quit the program after a few weeks; all of the ones that made it to the final week of training hadn't survived. Ronon was a merciless trainer and the commanders had learned; Ronon didn't receive many students.

This was why Commander Talen was less then thrilled to deliver the news to Ronon that another student was in need of training.

Ronon responded the way the commander had thought, "Not a chance."

"You are the best we have Dex, we need more students like you."

"I agree, find someone else."

Talen sighed, "This student is different, and she already knows how to fight and is damn good at it."

"She!" Ronon chuckled, "That's just what we need a woman, do you know why women make terrible operatives? They're too emotional."

"Dex this one shows more promise than any other student, Kel thinks she'll rival you one day."

"Then get Kel to train her." He said simply, "maybe then she'll survive."

"This isn't a question Dex, it's an order." Talen told him, "Emmagen is waiting in the training room, and you better be there in five minutes."

* * *

Teyla Emmagen surveyed the room with fascination and intrigue, never before had she been around such surroundings and if she was unsettled she didn't show it. All her life Teyla had known she would be a part of the war even though she was from a neutral planet and once she was old enough to understand she knew what side she wished to fight for.

That was why she was here to train; it was the best way for her to fight for her side. She knew this was not going to be easy and that in fact it was quite possibly going to be the hardest thing she would ever have to go through but she was confident that she would be one of the few to make it all the way.

It was then that she felt the eyes of someone watching her; she turned to see a very large very tall man staring at her intently. The first thought that entered her mind was how attractive this man was, everything about him was large, his hands, his arms everything. She could see that his eyes were a dark green the color of Telusian jade, his finely chiseled face only completed the picture that she was certain stole many hearts.

She was so surprised by this god-like image that she scarcely remembered to breathe. It took a minute to find her voice, "Who are you?" she asked.

"Your taskmaster," was all he said, his eyes never left her form.

Her eyes widened slightly, she didn't know whether it was a good thing or not that man would be the one who would train her. "I am Teyla Emmagen," she told him.

"I know." He replied.

Could the man speak in a complete sentence? "Well you know my name; I have yet to have the pleasure of knowing yours."

He raised an eyebrow at her words, "Ronon Dex."

Now she was really shocked and he noticed, "You've heard of me." He stated simply.

"Of course, you are the best there is!" she exclaimed excitedly, this was far more than she had hoped for.

He shrugged his shoulders in indifference, "That makes you happy?" He asked.

"Well yes," She explained, "I had expected training from someone of much lesser value."

"I wish to hell you were." He mumbled.

She heard what he said, "You do not wish to teach me?"

"I don't wish to teach anyone," He told her, "especially a feeble woman."

Anger ran through her veins when that statement reached her ears, "Not wishing to teach anyone I can understand, but at least I am not ignorant enough to judge someone just by their gender. If that were so I assure you, I would have called you the dim-witted ass you are the minute you walked through that door!"

She walked over to the other side of the room and gathered her things, "And as for me being feeble, I can assure you I can hold my own in any fight even one with you."

She began to walk away when he called out to her, "Where are you going?"

"I have no wish to be trained by an ill-mannered bastard."

"Then I'm right, you are weak," he told her making her stop, "weak to not own up to your claim."

"What do you mean," She asked tartly.

"Let's see if you're as a good a fight as you and everyone else claims," he explained, "right here, right now."

She stared at him for a moment before letting the bag slip from her shoulder. She walked over and faced him, raising her arms and bracing for the imminent attack.

He was as good as his reputation boasted, she punched him with everything she had and it was like hitting a brick wall. He was so large and muscular, she knew it would not be hard for him to crush her, but being so large had his disadvantages. He was quick but not nearly as fast as her small form allowed and she was by far more flexible, able to slip free from holds he would have over her.

It wasn't long before the sweat was rolling off of both their bodies as each tried so desperately to win, even Ronon had to admit, she was good.

Teyla was thinking something completely different, she wasn't good enough. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before he won.

She tried to drive a hard punch but he ducked to the left, grabbing her hand he brought her close to him. She tucked her knees hoping to propel herself away but he used his free hand to grasp her leg and force her to the ground. Stunned it was only a moment before he was on top of her forcing her hands on either side of her head.

She glared at him for a moment, only her pride was hurt. He got up off of her and offered a hand to help her up. She slapped it aside and stood up on her own.

"That settles it." She mumbled and began to pick up her bag.

"I'll see you in here nine o'clock," he told her.

She turned around, "What?"

"You heard me," was the only explanation Ronon gave her.

She crossed her arms, "I thought you didn't want to train anyone."

"I don't," he explained, "but the others are right, you do have potential."

That was all he told her before walking out of the room. She stared after him very surprised at the turn of events but pleased none of the less.

She left the training room and found the room that had been assigned to her, checking the hallway to ensure no one was around, she entered the room and locked the door.

The room was simply furnished with a bed and a sofa to recline on but the furnishings meant nothing to her, she was too busy looking through her bag.

Teyla smiled when her hand closed around the transmitter, she pushed the button and spoke to the person on the other end, "I'm in," She told him.

"Good work," Kayden praised her, "what do you have?"

"You are never going to believe this, my taskmaster is Ronon Dex."

"You're kidding!"

"No," She smiled, "apparently I have 'potential'."

"That must have boosted your ego," he laughed but then became serious, "This is more than we hoped for Emmagen, now you'll be getting information from the source. Keep your nose clean and make it through the training and you'll do fine. Just remember what you're there for."

"Of course," she smiled proudly, "anything for the Ekarrian."

* * *

Daronna was a smoggy world that is almost a toxic waste dump. Its cities are dirty and crowded the perfect breathing ground for crime and alcohol.

John Sheppard was seated at a card table in one of the many bars: a young man with a reputation that rivaled the oldest of crime dwellers. His ship was legendary and his crew among the best. They would accept a job from anywhere: Breidans, Ekarrians or neither, legal or illegal—it didn't matter. They had yet to fail a mission.

Across from him was an older man with cold brown eyes and a weathered, scarred face. He had the look of a warrior and a ruthless one at that. It was well known among the smugglers ring that Acastus Kolya and Sheppard were mortal enemies. You didn't want to be caught in a fire fight with them, chances were you'd come out dead.

Two others were with them at the table. A middle aged man named Winston Grant who was once a federal officer until a prize became to tempting to ignore. He was retired from the life of crime, but still enjoyed the occasional poker game.

The other was a woman a few years older than John. Mylna Simms was a prominent business woman from Tialga who owned one of the largest plantations there. She often hired smugglers to steal special chemicals to create her own fertilizer. Frequently, Daronna was the place for the exchange of the goods for money.

These four had been playing for hours and the luck varied for all of them. John didn't care who won as long as it wasn't Kolya. So far the two men had come out pretty even on their winnings while the other two were nearing the end of their money.

The cards were dealt and read. Each player passed back the dealer the cards they didn't want, while they accepted more cards from him.

They threw in their bets—Mylna forfeiting all of her chips. No one withdrew. When the bets came back to Mylna she saw she was stuck, "would it be alright, gentlemen if I bet something other than money?" She asked in a sugar sweet voice.

"Go on ahead, Miss Simms," Grant said while John and Kolya nodded.

Mylna whispered something to one of her men and smiled back at her fellow players, "It will only be a second."

The guard came back dragging a young woman with him. Under the table, John's hand clenched into a fist when he realized what was going on.

Mylna was betting a slave for her hand.

"Take a long look, gentlemen," She told them, "A pretty one, and of good breeding age. She's in good health, but has a strong spirit that I can't handle anymore."

Kolya perked up when he heard that. Nothing pleased him more than breaking a man or woman's spirit, "I'll accept it."

"So will I," Grant agreed.

John didn't say anything, just stared at the helpless, bound woman. She might have been pretty, beautiful even, if she was washed and dressed in something better than threadbare rags. Her curly brown hair was short and in need of was wash as well as a comb. The spirit Mylna had mentioned could be seen in her green eyes that glared at all of them seated at the table.

"Does something bother you about this, Sheppard?" Kolya asked knowingly. He and John had gotten in entanglements before about slavery since John hated it. He knew that if the majority agreed then the slave would be placed in the bets. No doubt Kolya hoped that he would quit now so he could malign him about it later.

John met his eyes with a cold stare, "Why would it?"

"It is unanimous," the dealer said, "Place the slave's papers and remote in the bets."

John looked at his cards; a small flush stared back at him—not a great hand. This girl's life depended on him though she didn't know it. It was time for some major bluffing.

The bets went around again, but this time Grant dropped out. Kolya bet 5,000, while John raised that to 10,000. Mylna had no choice but to throw down her cards and accept defeat, but John and his adversary weren't through yet.

Now the bets were up to 30,000. The only way John could cover that was if he bet his ship, something Kolya never thought he would do. When the _Hail Mary_ was laid out on the table he knew he was beat. Then only reason Sheppard would risk his ship was if he knew he would win.

"I'm out," Kolya admitted grudgingly.

"The winner is John Sheppard," The dealer announced, passing John the money and papers. John placed his cards on the table face down, and placed the papers in the pocket of his jacket.

Kolya looked at the cards realizing what this had to mean. Sheppard had bluffed! He had just lost all of his money and the slave he wanted for absolutely nothing.

He grabbed John's arms, prepared to break his neck, but John was faster. His gun was out of his holster before Kolya laid a finger on him.

"You lost, Kolya," John said, "The girl is mine, don't be a sore loser."

Kolya glared at the muzzle of the gun and then at John, "I'll kill you one day, Sheppard."

"Not if I kill you first," He replied before slipping the gun back in the holster.

"Shall I send her to you ship?" Mylna asked about the slave.

"No, I'll take her now," He said, grabbing the slave's arm and dragging her out of the bar. The girl's wrists were tied in front, but John didn't have a knife with him so she was stuck like that until they reached the ship.

"Who are you?" She asked, but he didn't respond, "Where are you taking me?"

"To my ship."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Does it matter?" He asked.

"Well I would prefer to know what you expect me to do so I can tell you no."

That made John stop and turn around to look at her, "What do you expect to do?" She didn't respond, just stared at him with a look that said it all. "You don't have to worry about _that_, I'm not interested."

"Good," She said, "I'm not going to call you master either."

"Who is the slave here," John demanded to know, "Me or you?"

Her green eyes snapped at him with anger but he ignored it. Grabbing her arm roughly again, he continued to pull her through the streets.

"Where're you from?" he asked her.

"I don't remember."

"Were you taken as a child?"

"No, I've only been a slave for two years."

"Then why don't…" he let go of her arm and looked at her, "Do you have amnesia or something?"

She nodded, "Yes, that's what they say."

"So you don't even know your name?"

"I think I know my first name."

"Care to share it?"

"Elizabeth," She told him, "What are you going to do with me?"

"Well, Elizabeth, I'm not going to keep you that's for sure."

"He started to drag her away again, "Do you're going to sell me?"

"I wasn't planning on it, but I'm going to reconsider the idea if you don't shut your mouth."

If he wasn't going to keep her or sell her that left only one option: he was going to kill her. To Elizabeth, letting him lug her to her death without a fight was unacceptable. She did the only thing she could do; she wiggled out of his grip, raised her bound wrists and slammed them into his back.

While he recovered from that blow, she started to race away in the opposite direction. However, John was faster than she assumed and caught up with her before she got too far.

"No!" she cried out in panic as he grabbed her waist. She kicked and hammered at him with her restrained fists, but he already pulled out the remote. The tip of the remotes touched the implant embedded into the back of her neck and she collapsed into unconsciousness. John hated having to do this, but it was only way to subdue her.

"Sorry about that," he apologized to her even though she couldn't respond, "but you didn't give me much choice."

At first he was going to throw her over his shoulder, but when he felt the thinness or her limbs and the hollow space between her hips and ribs, he knew she was to fragile for that. It may have been dangerous on his part, having no way to draw his gun, but he cradled her in his arms and carried her to his ship.

The ramp opened up and a familiar, sunny voice asked, "What you got there?"

"A slave," John said, relishing Marcus Lorne's shocked expression.

Dr. Carson Beckett came up from behind him and John passed her to him, "Bathe her down first."

"Aye," The Scot agreed, "She sorely needs it."

"Set her free," John said before handing Loren the money he won so he could put it with the rest of their cash. The he went to his quarters for some well needed sleep. That girl was gonna get one hell of a surprise in the morning.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Elizabeth didn't find herself in a grimy slave hut or lying out on the cold streets; instead she was in a comfortable bed wrapped in a warm blanket. Various medicines and equipment gave away that she was in an infirmary somewhere, but only the man in the white coat with his back to her could say where.

"Where am I?" she asked.

The man jumped in surprise, "You're awake, I'm glad to see that."

"What's going on?" she asked as she reached over to examine why the back of her neck was sore.

"Don't," he warned, "You might tear the stitches."

Her fingers brushed the sewn skin which was still very tender. Her eyes went wide as she realized what should have been there wasn't, "What did you do?"

The man smiled, "Set you free."

"Why?" she asked in surprise.

"The captain doesn't like slavery and neither do we."

"So you rescued me from that man?"

Now it was his turn to be curious, "What man?"

"The man who won me in the poker game."

Now he was laughing, "Love, that man is our captain."

Elizabeth's jaw fell open, "What?"

The doctor smiled, "I'm afraid I didn't introduce myself, I'm Dr. Carson Beckett. I understand your name is Elizabeth."

"Yes," She replied, "That's what I believe."

"The captain said your suffering from amnesia," Beckett went on, "When I get the chance, I'd like to do a scan of your brain to see what caused this, but that will have to wait until I can find a suitable planet that has the necessary equipment."

Again complete shock came over her to where she didn't notice the second man in the doorway until he drew her attention by saying, "Geeze, he sure can pick them."

A handsome man with brown hair and dark brown eyes sauntered in, flashing a cocky smile, "I'm Marcus Lorne, first mate of this ship."

"Ship?" she asked, "We're on a ship?"

Lorne looked at Carson, "You didn't tell her?"

"I was getting to it."

Marcus turned his focus back to her, "You're on the ship _Hail Mary_."

"What are you?" Elizabeth asked, "Pirates? Smugglers? Thieves?"

"All three," The familiar voice of the man who won her answered from the door, "How are you feeling?"

"She seems to be doing fine," Carson answered for her, "I think she's well enough to leave."

"That's good," he said, and then looked at Lorne, "Haven't you got a ship to fly?"

"Hey, it's your ship!" he protested.

"Which gives me permission to boss you around," he replied with a grin.

Marcus grumbled something about lazy captains as he left the room.

"Why did you do that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Kick him out? Cause he's an obnoxious flirt who would have tried to sleep with you." he explained.

"I would have said no."

"Now I know that," he replied with a grin, "Besides, I love ordering him around, its fun."

She smiled with him, however, when she did his own faded away and transformed into a small frown, "You can wear these," he tossed her some clothes he'd placed on a chair and walked out of the infirmary.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at his sudden change of mood, but didn't ask Beckett, who excused himself to let her change. She had been given a black t-shirt that was clean but baggy, black pants that were a bit to long and large in the waist. She ended up having to tie the belt she'd been given into a knot to keep them from falling off. Her feet were bare, since she assumed the shoes she could have received were too big for her to wear. All of the clothes she had been given belonged to the captain since they were identical to the clothes he'd been wearing.

She left the infirmary unsure of what she was supposed to do; fortunately the captain had been waiting outside for her.

"Thank you for the clothes," she said, "And for what you did."

He shrugged, "It was nothing; even I get tired of Lorne's flirting sometimes."

Elizabeth tried not to smile, but failed miserably and ended up laughing. He smiled too and it didn't fade away, "I know what you really meant," he said.

"What are you going to do with me?" she asked.

"Since you don't know where you're from, I guess you can stay until you find a place you can call home," he said, "But what we do is dangerous, so you really should stick around forever."

"Alright," Elizabeth replied with a nod.

His eyes swept up and down her from head to toe. She'd had seen men do this before, but how he did it was different. He wasn't deciding her value or undressing her with his eyes, he was just seeing how she looked. For the first time, she noticed how handsome he was with short dark brown hair going in every direction and hazel eyes. Those eyes startled her to her very core; they seemed so cols and yet she could still see warmth deep in their depths, like winter wanting to melt into spring but the sun refused the shine.

"We'll get you some better clothes," he said, "God knows you need something better than a sponge bath too."

"Are you saying I stink?" She asked in a warning tone.

"No offense, but yes," he said honestly, "Bathroom's just down that hall. You should find everything you need, and take as long as you like."

She should have been angry that he said she smelled bad, but the thought of a hot shower was simply to tempting to resist.

"You don't have to do this," She said.

"You're right, I don't," he admitted.

"But I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile and moved past her to leave.

"Wait," she stopped him, "what's your name?"

He chuckled when he realized he hadn't told her, "It's John Sheppard, but you can call me John."

* * *

The three men were just sitting down to enjoy lunch when Elizabeth finished her heavenly shower.

"I'm just saying, we can save fuel if we make a pit stop in Moriga before heading on to Beltu," Lorne said as he slapped two slices of bread over some meat and took a bite.

"Jorson wants us in two days, not two weeks," John replied, "We stick to the normal route."

Lorne was about to protest again when the sight of Elizabeth in the captain's clothes with damp hair left his mouth hanging open.

"Look who's finally decided to grace us with her presence," John joked, smirking at Lorne's surprise, "When I said take as long as you want I didn't think you'd be in there for four hours."

She gave him a small smile, "Sorry, but it's been a while since I've had anything but a sponge bath," she combed her fingers through her wet hair, even more curly now, "I heard we're headed for Beltu."

John nodded, "We'll pick you up some better clothes."

"I like the ones she has on now," Lorne grinned outrageously.

Carson smiled and shook his head, while John frowned at Marcus in disproval. The Scots man noticed that the girl remained standing in the corner giving the food on the table a longing gaze.

"Are you hungry, love?" he asked. She gave him a nod. "Then come join us."

"I don't…"

"What's wrong?" Lorne asked when he saw her nervous look.

"I know," John said, "Look you're not a slave anymore. You don't have to stand around while we eat or ask our permission for anything. Take as much as you like, when you like."

"Sorry," she replied, taking a sandwich and the seat across from him, "It's habit."

"Well it's time to break that habit."

Elizabeth began to wolf down the sandwich, leaving the men flabbergasted, "Easy it's not going anywhere," John lightly chastised, "Slow up before you choke."

Her cheeks turned bright pink, "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize so much."

"Sor…alright."

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?" Carson asked, donning the role of medical doctor again. She thought for several seconds before giving up with a shrug.

"Geeze and I thought living with him was bad," Lorne said pointing to John.

"I can make it worse," John suggested.

"I'd love to see you try."

"Don't mind them," Carson said when he saw Elizabeth's look; "They don't mean a word they say."

"Why are you going to Beltu?" she asked instead.

"A job," John said simply.

"'Oh," she said, "Do you go there often?"

"There and nearly every other system in this galaxy," Marcus answered, "Hey, is it true you don't know your last name?"

Elizabeth nodded, "That and my life before two years ago."

"Well that won't do, you need a name," Lorne thought for a second, "Caldwell?"

"I wouldn't wish that name on her if she was my worst enemy," John laughed.

"Not even Kolya?" Lorne retaliated, "Daronna is where you got her how about that?"

"You really suck at this," John said, rolling his eyes, "What about Shadow?" he suggested.

"Shadow?" she repeated.

"Well your life is hidden in shadow isn't it? It's metaphorical."

"I like that, Elizabeth Shadow," she smiled, "Sounds mysterious."

Carson picked up his plate and placed it in the sink. After selecting an apple from a nearby bowl, he set it down next to Elizabeth, "Your stitches will be out in a few days. I want you to eat as much healthy food as you can. You're severely malnourished, how you survived these past two years on such little food amazes me."

"Stubbornness," she told him with a smile before looking back at John, "Can I ask you why you did this? You could have freed me then left me on Daronna, why are you being so kind?"

"You're human, just as everyone else, I've seen enough suffering to last me a lifetime," his hazel eyes darkened, "and I'm not kind," he said coldly, "and don't question me again!"

The anger scared her a little and she went several shades lighter than normal. However, her own anger took over. She had only asked a simply question! For God sakes you'd think she'd asked him why he didn't comb his hair!

He knew the minute she got angry when her beautiful green eyes snapped at him, "Fine, I won't make that mistake again," she spat out before stalking off.

Carson and Marcus looked at each other knowingly. It was only a matter of time before John remembered his hatred upon all women, now this poor girl must suffer for it.

* * *

A/N: Surprise! Teyla is a spy, and John hates women. Answers will come as this story moves on, you'll have to keep reading to find out how it ends. Please R&R.


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